Often times post surgical rehabilitation programs to overcome restrictive flexor and extensor tendinorrhaphy site fibrous adhesions require finger joint motion. Patient apprehension, pain, and stress to the tendon repair sites often interferes with immediate post-operative voluntary flexion of the involved tendon muscles. Current rehabilitation strategies delay the motion of the fingers for this reason. However, this delay advances potentially debilitating fibrous adhesions and joint contractures.
Early motion of the finger joints can reduce joint stiffness to avoid or treat reflex sympathetic dystrophies. It can also reduce the adhesions from reactive synovitis associated with both rheumatoic and non-rheumatoid arthritic patients and enhance post operative rehabilitation following finger joint replacements. In all these examples, combating expected early peri-tendinorrhaphy scarring, secondary joint stiffness from primary soft tissue and intrinsic muscle contractures will potentially avoid subsequent surgery to remedy these issues.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus to assist in post operative rehabililitation that assists in passive extension and flexion of finger joints that is easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.